What is the use of the "sorted" function in Python?

Question

Jayant Kumar · Accepted Answer

Table of Contants
Introduction
The sorted function in Python is a built-in utility that returns a new list containing all items from an iterable, sorted in ascending order by default. It provides a convenient way to sort elements without modifying the original iterable, making it versatile for various data manipulation tasks.

How the sorted Function Works
The sorted function can sort any iterable (such as lists, tuples, and strings) and returns a new list with the elements sorted.
Syntax:
sorted(iterable, key=None, reverse=False)

**iterable**: The iterable to be sorted (e.g., list, tuple, string).
**key** (optional): A function that takes an element and returns a value to be used for sorting. The default is None, which means sorting is based on the elements' natural ordering.
**reverse** (optional): A boolean value indicating whether to sort in descending order. The default is False, which sorts in ascending order.

Example:
numbers = [3, 1, 4, 1, 5, 9, 2]
sorted_numbers = sorted(numbers)

print(sorted_numbers)

Output:
[1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9]

In this example, sorted returns a new list with the numbers sorted in ascending order.

Using the key Parameter
The key parameter allows you to specify a function to determine the sorting criteria.
Example:
words = ["banana", "apple", "cherry"]
sorted_words = sorted(words, key=len)

print(sorted_words)

Output:
['apple', 'banana', 'cherry']

Here, sorted uses the length of each word for sorting, resulting in words arranged by length.

Using the reverse Parameter
The reverse parameter allows you to sort in descending order.
Example:
numbers = [3, 1, 4, 1, 5, 9, 2]
sorted_numbers_desc = sorted(numbers, reverse=True)

print(sorted_numbers_desc)

Output:
[9, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1]

In this example, sorted returns a list sorted in descending order.

Comparing sorted with sort

**sorted**: Returns a new sorted list and does not modify the original iterable.
numbers = [3, 1, 4, 1, 5, 9, 2]
sorted_numbers = sorted(numbers)

**sort**: Modifies the list in place and does not return a new list.
numbers = [3, 1, 4, 1, 5, 9, 2]
numbers.sort()

Example Comparison:
numbers = [3, 1, 4, 1, 5, 9, 2]

# Using sorted
sorted_numbers = sorted(numbers)
print(sorted_numbers)  # Output: [1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9]

# Using sort
numbers.sort()
print(numbers)  # Output: [1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9]

Here, sorted does not alter the original list, while sort modifies the list in place.

Practical Examples
1. Sorting a List of Tuples
data = [(1, 'apple'), (2, 'banana'), (3, 'cherry')]
sorted_data = sorted(data, key=lambda x: x[1])

print(sorted_data)

Output:
[(1, 'apple'), (2, 'banana'), (3, 'cherry')]

In this example, sorted sorts a list of tuples by the second element of each tuple (the fruit names).
2. Sorting Strings Alphabetically
strings = ["banana", "apple", "cherry"]
sorted_strings = sorted(strings)

print(sorted_strings)

Output:
['apple', 'banana', 'cherry']

Here, sorted arranges the strings in alphabetical order.
3. Sorting with Custom Criteria
students = [("Alice", 90), ("Bob", 80), ("Charlie", 85)]
sorted_students = sorted(students, key=lambda x: x[1], reverse=True)

print(sorted_students)

Output:
[('Alice', 90), ('Charlie', 85), ('Bob', 80)]

In this example, sorted orders students by their scores in descending order.

Conclusion
The sorted function in Python is a powerful tool for sorting iterables and creating new lists in a specified order. It offers flexibility with its key and reverse parameters, making it suitable for a wide range of sorting tasks. Understanding how to use sorted effectively can enhance your data manipulation capabilities and improve the efficiency of your Python programs.

What is the use of the "sorted" function in Python?

Table of Contants

Introduction

How the `sorted` Function Works

Syntax:

Example:

Using the `key` Parameter

Example:

Using the `reverse` Parameter

Example:

Comparing `sorted` with `sort`

Practical Examples

1. Sorting a List of Tuples

2. Sorting Strings Alphabetically

3. Sorting with Custom Criteria

Conclusion

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